Automatic train signaling and recording system.



35.758,502. PATRNTRD AUG.23,1904. P. R. Woon R D. P. SHAMBRRGRR.-

AUTOMATIG TRAIN SIGNALING AAND RECORDING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q li

III-

No. 768,502. O PATENTED AUG. 28, 1904.

I'. R. WOOD & D. I'. SHAMBERGER. AUTOMATIC TRAIN SIGNALING AND RECORDING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24. 190s.

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented August 23,1904.

` PATENT EEICE.

ERANK R. WOODAND DANIEL EREDERIOK SHAMRERGER OE SPARROWS POINT, MARYLAND. f l

AUTomATlo TRAIN SIGNALlNe. AND RECORDING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,502, dated August 23, 1904.

Application led August Z4, l1903. Serial No. 170,597. (No model.)

To cir/ZZ whom, it Duty concern:

Be it knownthat we, FRANK R. WOOD and DANIEL FREDERICK SHAMBERGER, residing at Sparrows Point, in the county of Baltimore and State-of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved' Autom atie Train Signaling and Recording System, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the class of railroad signaling mechanisms in which the exact time acertain train passes a given point or station will be recorded at a central station, together with the train-number and the number of the station passed by the train. 4

TheA invention includes a transmitter-box having a plurality of number-wheels corre# spondingto the given number of trains and located at a predetermined point or station along the line, and the corr'espondingnumber-Wheels of each transmitter are connected in series .with each other and with an electrically-operated time-stamp and recording mechanism.

With other objects in view which will hereinafter be apparent the invention consists in parts, such as will be first described in detail and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had t'othe accompanying drawings, in whichl Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing our invention as applied for use. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the transmitter-box, the cover being removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical .section taken on the line 3v 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of lone of the number- Wheels and its cooperating contact members. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view hereinafter specifically referred to.

In the drawings, la designates the main or central station in which are located the timestamp ldevices S and the recording mechanisms R of any approved construction, and the saidltime-stamp and recording mechanisms are connected with the main line-wires 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7," and with the ground-,wires G, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Arranged at suitable intervals along the railroad-line 10, which includes the track-rails .stud 22 on the side wall of the 10- 10,b and the auxiliary track-rails 10, are transmitters T. (Shown in detail in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, by reference to which it will be seen the transmitter T includes a box or casing t,

in which is included a number-wheel 15, ar-` I ed on the cross-bar 17, engage, and a surface 15d, having a series of teeth 15e, suitably spaced to signal the train and station number and with which the brushes 18, mounted on the crossbar 18, engage for the purposes presently to appear. The number-Wheels 15 are arranged with a series of signaling-teeth adapted to send i-none signal for each revolution of the number-wheel in the manner presently explained. certain novel combination and arrangement of Mounted and secured to rotate with the shaft 16 'is an escapement-'wheel 20, adapted i to coperate With the escapement-pendulum 21 to regulate the speed of rotation of the shaft 16, and the said shaft 16 also carries a ratchet-Wheel 16x, having ratchet-teeth 16y, with which the pawl 16, pivoted on the stud on the side Wall of the casing t, engages.

22 designates a vertically-movable rod or bar mounted for vertical movement on the casing t by means of aslotWay 22, and the said rod 22 is connected at its lower end to the pawl16,

while it carries a pivot-linger 22e, spring-held by a coil-spring 22d or otherwise to its normal position at right angles to the rod 22, and the said finger has a bevel y22x for a purpose presently explained.

Pivoted on the stud 23 for cooperating with the linger 22e is a lever 23, to one end of Which is pivoted and pendently secured a rodA y24,having a keeper 24 at its lower end to cooperate with the electromagnet 25, connected with the track-rails 10 10b rail-sectionslO, as shown,

and the'auxiliary and the said lever 23 is normally held tothe position shown in Fig. 2 by a coil-spring 24x.

Meshing with the pinion 26 on the shaft 16 is a gear 27, mounted at one end of the counter-shaft 28, which shaft 28 carries a pinion 29 at its other end for meshing with the gear portion 38 of the motor 30, mounted on the shaft 30X, which has a ratchet-wheel 30b engaged by the pawl 30c and to which the shaft 30X and spring 3l within the motor-casing 30 are secured, the said spring 31 being also secured to the motor-casing to cause the said motor-casing to rotate. The shaft 30is prevented from normally turning by the ratchetand-pawl devices 30b and 30, and the said shaft carries a key 30y, by means of which the motor-spring may be wound up in the usual manner.

From practical experience we have found that resistance between the rails of the railroad having a stone road-bed as now generally constructed is suiiciently high to avoid the necessity of insulating the rails to which the terminals from the magnet 35 connect. However, whenever it may be necessary We may insulate the rails in any approved manner.

The train is equipped with suitable levers, &c., which when the train passes over the auxiliary rails will contact therewith to shortcircuit one of the electric circuits for one of the magnets 25, it being understood that different trains may operate to close any of the circuits desired through the auxiliary rails and the main rails.

So far as described the manner in which our invention operates may be best explained as follows: Assuming the trains vto be running from the left to the right in Fig. l, as the first train draws near the first station having the transmitter the resistance between the rails will become suiiciently reduced by short circuit to permit the current Jfrom battery B to flow through magnet 25, causing it to draw `down the armature 24C and rock the lever 23 until it raises the bar or rod 22 and has its portion 23 disengaged from the linger 22L. This momentarily withdraws the pawl from the ratchet-wheel, which as soon as the finger 22iL and lever 23 become disengaged will again engage the surface of the ratchet-wheel to prevent its rotating more than the predetermined distance. As soon as the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet-teeth the shaft 16 will rotate one-sixth of a revolution and permit the signaling-teeth on the first numberwheel to pass under their respective contactarm to break and make the circu it. The breaking of the circuit (normally closed) serves to start the time-stamp and the recording mechanism. The said recording mechanism will then register the number of breaks and makes of its respective circuit by the said numberwheel and record the station and train number which is in operation. As soon as the first train leaves the vicinity o1 the lirst station, the resistance between the track-rails becoming again great, the current will cease to iiow through the magnet 25 to allow the lever 23 to again assume its normal position, and by reason of the length ell the portion 23 of the lever and the linger 22l the said lever will pass said linger and engage the under side of said finger on its return movement. As the second train arrives at the lirst station the same cycle of operations will take place, except the second munber-wheel sends in the station-signal through the second circuit and operates its respective time-stamp and recording mechanism. The train number is registered by the recording mechanism, it always being the same for each operation of the recording mechanism-that is, lirst train records on the time-stamp and recording mechanism S R, the second train on the mechanism' S2 R2, and so on. As thel second train arrives at each successive station along the line it will operate its respective numberwheel in each transmitting-station and its respective time-stamp and recording mechanism in the main or central station in the same manner as for the first train, and so on for each train. lt should be understood that the lirst train will have its lever so arranged as to short-circuit the magnet 25 in the signalbox in the circuit No. 2 through thl auxiliary rails l()c 10d, while the second train will operate the circuit No. 3 by short-circuiting the main track-rail 10" and the auxiliary rail 10e. Train No. 3 operates circuit No. i hy short-circuiting the auxiliary circuit through the track-rail l0b and the auxiliary rail 10". The fourth train operates through the circuitNo. 5 and short-circuits the main rail l0" and the auxiliary rail 10". The liith train operates through the circuit No. 6 and shorteircuits through track-rail l0" and auxiliary rail l0, whereas train No. 6 operates hy short-circuiting both track-rails. Train `No. 7 operates through No. 2 circuit again, and

so on.

In Fig. 6 we have shown a slightly-modified form of our invention adapted for use to record the position oil the switches along the railroad-line, as well as recording the train-number, &c. lt will be seen we provide an additional transmitter TH for each switch along the line, which transmitter is preferably in circuit with the auxiliary wire 5l), although they may be connected to one olf the main line-wires, if desirable, and in the said auxiliary transmitters Tm we may use a single number-wheel l5, having two sets of signalteeth and arranged to send in one signal when the switch is turned to open the main line andthe other to signal when the switch is open to the siding, in the manner readily understood by reference to Fig. 5, from which it will be seen themagnet 25 has one terminal connected to the switch to set the transmit- IOO ICS

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` when it reaches the ters Tlf" inoperation when the switch makes contact kwith either rail. I-ntliis form the ratcliet-wheel 16x has-twol ratchet-teeth at diagraininatically opposite pointsv to permit of the signal-wheel making but one half-revolution for each operation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we provide a simple andeiiective system of train recording and signaling means which will record the train-number, the station passed, and the time when the'trainpasses the station, as well as the position of the switches along the line and the time when they were turned, it being understood that any approved timestamp mechanism and Morse or other recorder may be used as they ourpresent invention.

From the foregoing it will also be seen that per se form no part of the speed and direction in which the train is going may be readily calculated by observing' the differences of time between the records of the train at each succeeding station: and by knowing the distances between each succeeding station. For instance, assuming the first train to operate at the iirst station to the left of Fig. `1 to stamp the time-say 2.55-and second station the time stamped is 2.57, and the distance between the first and second 'station is one mile, then the train will have made the distance between the two stations in two minutes, or running at the speed of thirty miles an hour. The direction in which'the train is going may be of main line-wires,

told by the way in which the stationsignals or numbers are recorded. For instance, if the first station to the left of Fig. l is recorded {irst and then the second station, and so on, the train is running `from-left to right, whereas if tlietliird station from vthe left in Fig. l is recorded first, then the second station, and

then the iirst station the train will be running from right to left.

v While we have shown but one central sta--v tion le, yet we desire it understood that there may be any number of main stations located at dierent sirable.

From the foregoing description, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the advantages and complete operation of our invention will be readily apparent4 to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

Having thus described'our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a train recordingsystem, a plurality a time-stamp and recording mechanism for ea'cli line-wire, said timestamp and record ing mechanismsbeing'located at a common place, transmitter mechanisms for said main line-wires, adapted 'to be-set in motion by the passing train, and including a rotatable shaft and a signaling-'wheel carried points along the-line, if found de- `for each main line-wire, said signaling-wheels 'to rotate, electromagbytlie said shaft vfor each line-wire, for the purposes specified. l 2. Ina train-recording system, a plurality of main line-wires, a time-stamp and recordits respective main line-wire, the corresponding signaling-wheelsof each transmitter being electrically connected with each other and with the time-stamp and recording mechanisms, for the purposes specified.

, 8. Ina train recording system, a'plurality of main line-wires, a time-stamp and recording mechanism for eachline-wire located at a common place, suitably placed transmitter mechanisms for said mainline-wires, each adapted to be set in operation by the passing train and each including signaling-wheels'one' forv eachl mainline-wire, theA corresponding -signaling-wheelsl of each transmitter being electrically connected in series with each other and with the time-stamp and recording mechanism, for the purposes speciiied.

4. In a train recording and signaling sys-'- tem, comprising in l'combination with thefmain line-wires and the recording instruments, of transmitter mechanisms placed at suitable dis` YYtances along the rail-line, said rtransmitter mechanisms each including a vsignaling-wheel means for causing netically-operated devices for releasing said wheel-driving mechanism at" predetermined leasing mechanism being electricallyv connectsaid electromagnetically-operated mechanism to release saidsignaling-wheel-driving mechanism, for the purposes specified.

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times, said electromagnetically-operated re- 5'. In a signaling and recording system for railroads, comprisingin combinationl with the track-rails, the main line-wires and the recordlng mechanisms, of transmitter mechanisms,

comprising a rotatable shaft and signalingwheel-carried thereby, a drive-motor for said shaft, a ratchet having teeth equal in number to the signaling-wheels, a magnetically-controlled pawl for cooperating with said ratchet 'adapted tobe released from said ratchet the-passing train, as specied.

6. In a signaling system for railroads and Vthe like, comprising in combination with the 'main'track-rails, of auxiliary rails arranged parallel to and between said track-rails, of a plurality of main line-circuits including recording mechanisms,- transmitter mechanisms one for each'main line-circuit,l auxiliary circuits connecting each of saidtransmitter in echp vani'sms with the track-rails, auXiliaryrails or both, so that said auxiliary circuits maybe closed by the passing train to operate said main circuit for said transmittermechanisms,

" transmitter mechanisms. includingrecordingdevices,allbcngarrangml IO 7. In a signaling mechanism, comprising in as shown and described. combination with the track-rails, of auxiliary FRANK 1t. WOOD. 5 conductor-rails, of a plurality of auxiliary l).1REDllRICK SHAMBERGER.

circuits connected with said track-rails, said lVitncsses: supplemental rails orhoth, said auxiliary cir- T. W. STINGLEY, cuits including transmitter mechanisms, \Vi\I.V.IilU.\IM1 1L. 

